What's the Difference Between Gumbo, Jambalaya, and Etouffee?

Gumbo, Jambalaya, Etouffee: What's the Difference?

New Orleans cuisine: boy, it may have a richly-colored heritage, but unless you're from around there, it sure can be confusing. Not only is it hard to keep track of which dishes are Cajun and which ones are Creole, but those rice dishes can be pretty tough to keep straight! So gumbo, jambalaya, étouffée: what's the difference, anyway?

Think of jambalaya as a distant relative of paella. It's got protein and vegetables (sometimes tomatoes, sometimes not), with rice and stock later simmered together or combined before serving. In contrast, gumbo — a mix of vegetables and meat or shellfish with thickened stock — is thinner and served as a soup alongside rice that's cooked separately.

Different from gumbo (which is considered a soup), étouffée's a main course, made of one type of shellfish (crawfish or shrimp, for instance) that's been smothered in a thick sauce and sometimes served ladled over rice. Don't confuse any of these, of course, with the city's historic Monday favorite: red beans and rice. Got all that?

The part about eating Gumbo as a soup separate from the rice is not true. 99.9% of people that cook Gumbo serve it on top of their rice... which is the point why everyone is so confused. But the point this lady made about the vegetables(sometimes adding in tomatoes or a tomato base broth) is the only real difference between Gumbo or Jambalaya. Most people will make the broth's or stock's thickness to their own liking as well. I know this because I was born, raised and lived here my entire life.